Jenks Parents Shocked, Call For Change After 'Disciplinary' Photo Taken Of Son

Jenks Parents Shocked, Call For Change After 'Disciplinary' Photo Taken Of Son

JENKS, Oklahoma -

Two Jenks parents are calling for action after they say a coach took a picture of their son inside the boys' locker room.

The parents said their son told them the coach takes pictures of students on his personal phone for disciplinary reasons.

But that's something that just doesn't sit right with them.

"As a parent of a child who goes to Jenks, I'm shocked," said Jonathan Hudson.

Shocked is just one of the emotions Jonathan and Jeanna Hudson felt when their son told them his 8th grade gym coach took a picture of him inside the locker room.

"He was just going over his day and very nonchalantly mentioned as he came in late from gym, his teacher took a picture of him when he walked into the locker room," Jonathan Hudson said. "He said, well if I would have realized I was getting my picture taken I would have posed for it ... I heard her on speaker phone the same time that I said, we both said, 'What?'"

"We questioned him probably 100 different ways just to make sure, like, how do you know?" Jeanna Hudson said.

Their son said if students are late to gym, they have to run laps.

He told them the coach takes pictures of the boys when they walk into the locker room late to document who will run the next day.

"What's wrong with a piece of paper and a pencil?" Jonathan Hudson said.

The Hudsons took their concerns to the administration, but said they feel like they aren't being taken seriously.

"From the beginning, the response from the administration has not been, let's hear your concerns and we'll figure out what the problem is. They said, we've heard your concerns, and let us explain why it isn't a problem," Jonathan Hudson said.

A statement from the school district states its "investigation of the incident confirmed that the student was outside the locker room..." and the picture was "deleted immediately" after Jeanna Hudson raised a concern.

The statement went on to say its "policies are reviewed annually to ensure the very best practices and procedures are being followed."

The district said all parents can sign a waiver at the beginning of the year allowing pictures to be taken of their child and that waiver does allow teachers to take pictures of students on their phones.

The parents said despite the intent, they believe the district's policy needs to be changed.

Jenks Public Schools' full statement is below:

"The picture in question was taken outside of the locker room. An investigation into the incident confirmed that the student was outside the locker room and was not changing clothes when the picture was taken. Upon hearing Mrs. Hudson’s concern over the photograph of her child, the picture was deleted immediately. Any claim that the photo was taken inside the locker room is absolutely false. This was made very clear to Mrs. Hudson by multiple District administrators, both over the phone, and in a face-to-face meeting.

At Jenks Public Schools, we value feedback on current and potential policies. Our policies are reviewed annually in order to ensure the very best practices and procedures are being followed. The safety and security of all students is the top priority at Jenks Public Schools."